Terrorism and Mental Illness (True North Initiative)

On Sunday July 22nd, 29-year-old Faisal Hussain walked through a Toronto neighbourhood and opened fire at innocent civilians enjoying a warm summer evening. He murdered a 10-year-old girl and an 18-year-old young woman. Days later, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, and Toronto Police responded by saying there was no evidence to back this claim.

The Hussain family were quick to release a polished statement (we later learned it was provided by a professional activist), claiming the Danforth shooter had a history of mental illness. The gatekeeper media accepted this statement as fact, despite other media reports indicating that Toronto Police files on Hussain showed little evidence of the typical history of a person with a mental illness.

It’s important to note, as many scholars have, that terrorism and mental illness are not mutually exclusive.